Guardian 28,203 / Picaroon
I was surprised to see Picaroon’s name on this puzzle, less than two weeks since I blogged his last one. Needless to say, I am not complaining – but it’s too soon to … Read more >>
Guardian
Guardian Cryptic 28,202 by Pan
A pleasant and nicely-clued start to the week – my favourites were 13ac, 17ac, 2dn, and 14dn. Thanks to Pan ACROSS 1 HOT-WATER BOTTLE Misguided betrothal to wet bedfellow? (3-5,6) (betrothal to … Read more >>
Guardian Quiptic 1,081/Anto
A sound Quiptic from Anto this morning, with some nicely chosen anagrams to ease beginners and those still a little drowsy into the puzzle. Abbreviations cd cryptic definition dd double … Read more >>
Guardian Genius No 205 by Enigmatist
A puzzle by Enigmatist is always a challenge, but this wasn’t as hard as some recent Geniuses. The instructions read as follows: “Thirteen clues consist of wordplay alone and share the same missing … Read more >>
Guardian Prize 28,195 by Paul
Two solutions ending in “loo”, yet no toilet references in their clues! In his invitation to his Zoom session (I didn’t participate) which coincided with the publication of this puzzle, Paul raised the … Read more >>
Guardian Cryptic 28,200 by Paul
Another in a string of tricky puzzles over the past few days. Lots of fun, my favourites were 11ac, 15ac, 23ac, 26ac, and 18dn. Thanks to Paul …there’s an obvious fish theme in … Read more >>
Guardian 28,199 – Tramp
Phew, that was hard, made harder by the rather unfriendly grid, though the split answer at 1,13 and the cross-reference between 6 and 17 helped a bit. I wasn’t sure of some parsings … Read more >>
Guardian Cryptic 28,198 by Vlad
A typically tough Vlad puzzle that will wake up your little grey cells. This was a fine puzzle, as long as your politics are not too right wing, as there are digs at … Read more >>
Guardian Cryptic 28,197 by Qaos
The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/28197. A not too difficult offering from Qaos, with, as usual, a theme: musical instruments. There are a few borderline cases – SIREN (yes, there are various … Read more >>
Quiptic 1,080 by Matilda
One of our regular Quiptic setters with another enjoyable (but occasionally tricky) puzzle. Most of the standard clue types are here: simple block constructions, insertions, anagrams, reversals, double definitions, and combinations of these. … Read more >>
Guardian 28,196 / Vulcan
Vulcan fills his / her regular fortnightly slot with a typical Monday medley of anagrams, charades and double and cryptic definitions. Thanks for the puzzle, Vulcan. Definitions are underlined in the clues. Across … Read more >>
Guardian Prize 28,189 by Puck
An inventive and entertaining puzzle. Thank you Puck. Having spotted Toulouse Lautrec as my first one in I was expecting an easy ride with write-ins of famous paintings. Then I discovered how may … Read more >>
Guardian 28,194 / Picaroon
It’s Picaroon rounding off the weekday puzzles, following Nutmeg with another lovely offering. (I shan’t be surprised if crypticsue calls me ‘Lucky Eileen’ again.) The answers went in steadily, with half a dozen … Read more >>
Guardian Cryptic 28,193 by Nutmeg
A fun puzzle and some really lovely clues – my favourites were 1ac, 12ac, 21ac, 24ac, 5dn, 7dn, and especially 3dn. Thanks to Nutmeg ACROSS 1 BROAD HINT Meaningful nudge from flamboyant … Read more >>
Guardian 28,192 – Brummie
Mostly very straightforward clueing from Brummie today, and a quick solve for me, though I was held up by the parsing of 11a. I was almost immediately tipped off to the theme by … Read more >>